England players were left disappointed after their elimination from the 2025 Champions Trophy on February 26. Afghanistan secured a thrilling eight-run victory over England in their Group B clash at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Batting first after winning the toss, Afghanistan posted 325/7 in 50 overs, powered by a sensational 177 from opener Ibrahim Zadran. In response, Joe Root (120) fought hard to keep England in contention but fell in the 46th over.
Afghan pacer Azmatullah Omarzai (5/58) held his nerve under pressure, delivering crucial breakthroughs in the final overs to seal the win. The defeat marked the end of England’s campaign, leaving players like Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Ben Duckett visibly dejected. Their emotional reactions can be seen in the post below:
https://x.com/asycurrentupdte/status/1894800293084438724?s=46
“A thrilling match, but disappointed with the result” – England captain Jos Buttler on loss to Afghanistan
At the post-match presentation, England captain Jos Buttler shared his thoughts on the defeat and stated:
“Obviously really disappointing. Thought we had our chances. Another fantastic game of cricket but gutted to come out on the wrong side. Joe Root played an unbelievable innings. We wanted one of the top six batters to stay with him longer and take it deeper.”
“Thought he and Overton put in a good partnership. Looked good to get over the line at the end but we lost too many wickets. They got away from us there in the last ten overs.”
Buttler further added:
“But if we look back and reflect, 113 off the last ten pushed them up to a score which was a very good score on that pitch. (On Root) He’s been a brilliant player in all formats.”
“Obviously his ODI record is outstanding. He played an unbelievable innings tonight, showed a lot of character to handle pressure. As I said, one of us in the top six could have stayed with him and got it done.”
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